It won’t be possible to ratify Sweden’s NATO bid before October: Erdogan
Vilnius, Lithuania (AFP/AA):
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that Turkey would not be able to ratify Sweden’s NATO candidacy until at least October because parliament was not in session.
“There is a two-month parliament holiday. Of course, it will not be possible to end this holiday before October,” Erdogan told reporters at the end of a two-day NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
“There are many international agreements, there are many legislative proposals that need to be discussed. We take them up in the order of their importance. But our goal is to finish this process as soon as possible,” Erdogan said.
Erdogan’s comments threatened to both disappoint and worry Swedish and NATO officials.
Some Western leaders had hoped that Turkey would be able to finish the ratification process in the coming weeks.
The Turkish leader agreed on Monday to allow Sweden to join the US-led alliance after resisting the candidacy for more than a year.
Erdogan was particularly angered by protests at which anti-Islamic figures burned pages from the Koran.
Sweden has amended its constitution and tightened its anti-terror legislation in response to pressure from Erdogan.
But it still permits protests at which people have burned the Islamic holy book.
Türkey ‘more hopeful than ever’ about F-16 purchase from US
Erdogan also said Türkey is “more hopeful than ever” about its F-16 purchase from the US.
“Our expectation is that we shall reach a positive outcome. I am more hopeful than ever (about this issue),” Erdogan said.
About counter-terrorism, he said a relentless fight against terrorism is indispensable for Türkey.
“We expect a resolute and clear stance from our allies on this matter,” he added.
Quran burning
On Quran burning in Sweden, the Turkish leader said that attacking people’s sacred values is not freedom of speech, calling it “barbarism, primitiveness, and a kind of terrorist act.”
Countries that voted against the resolution condemning the act of Quran burning in the UN Human Rights Council “should reconsider” their understanding of freedom and human rights, he urged.
On Tuesday, the UK, US, and some European Union member countries rejected condemning the burning of the Quran during an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva over the rising number of attacks against the Muslim holy book.
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